As long as there are dreams: Give Kids the World turns 25

KISSIMMEE — Eight-year-old Ari Cohen and his family are from Boca Raton, and could have gone pretty much anywhere, thanks to the South Florida chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which helps grant wishes to children with life-threatening diseases.

But they came here, just 149 miles from home, to the Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee. No regrets. "I'm speechless," said Leah, Ari's mom. "They could not have made us feel more welcome, more at home. This is a wonderful place."

Ari, who has a chromosome defect that has confined him to a wheelchair and left him unable to speak, wasn't supposed to make it past his first birthday. But like more than 107,000 other kids from all 50 states and more than 70 countries, he and his family have just spent what was perhaps the best week of their lives, visiting Orlando-area theme parks and enjoying the expenses-paid hospitality of Give Kids the World.

The Cohen family was present this past weekend, when Give Kids the World celebrated its 25th anniversary with the opening of two buildings at the 70-acre compound just off U.S. Highway 192.

Give Kids the World was founded by Henri Landwirth, an 84-year-old hotelier. Landwirth owned multiple hotels in Central Florida and often made rooms available to the families of sick children whose dream it was to visit Walt Disney World and the other area theme parks. That was the dream of a 6-year-old named Amy — to meet Mickey Mouse — but before she could come to Orlando, she died from leukemia.

That, thought Landwirth, should never happen again. Investing his own money and seeking out partners, he began Give Kids the World. There were two central goals: First, there would be no waiting list — even now, said Colette Krahenbuhl, public relations manager, requests can be turned around in as little as 48 hours, from the initial phone call from an agency such as Make-A Wish to the child's arrival.

And second, no child would be turned away.

Give Kids the World has 140 fully furnished villas where the children and their families live for the six-night, seven-day trip. When all the villas are full, and they usually are, the families stay in a nearby hotel. Plane fare and a rental vehicle are included, as are passes to all the area parks. Meals are provided in an on-site cafe — a fully functioning Perkins Restaurant staffed with volunteers — though all the tables are lowered for child-size access.

Part of the mission of Give Kids the World is to provide a vacation not only for the sick child, but also for the family members, who are usually the child's caregivers and subject to all the personal and financial stress that goes with that.

"We don't even allow the parents to carry their own trays in the restaurant," Krahenbuhl said. "We don't want them to lift a finger the whole time they're here."

As with the rest of Give Kids the World, Perkins' name is nowhere to be found on the restaurant — nor will you find the name of Budget Rent-A-Car, which built one building, or Hasbro, which constructed an enormous playground, or any of the other corporations that pay the lion's share of the bills that amount to $1 million a month to operate the facility. From day one, Landwirth and his staff did not want any of their guests to feel obligated to any person or any company.

"We help support this place because it's the right thing to do," said Michael J. Short, executive vice president and chief financial officer for AutoNation, the Fort Lauderdale-based company that operates 246 new-vehicle franchises in 15 states.

Short, who is on the board of directors for Give Kids the World, began working with the charity when he was with Universal Orlando. When he moved to AutoNation four years ago, he encouraged his new company to support Give Kids the World, and it has — the latest donation is $1 million, plus a new car that was auctioned off Saturday night.

"The cooperation between the theme parks here is just unprecedented," Short said.

Usually ultracompetitive when it comes to other attractions, the parks work together to orchestrate and finance Give Kids the World family visits. Employees and performers have learned to recognize kids with the little Give Kids the World name tags in the audience and often will stay after a performance to visit with the children, or even give them a private show.

At Saturday's anniversary celebration, Landwirth spoke briefly, shook hands and quietly accepted the thanks of hundreds of visiting families. This has always been personal for him: His own childhood was taken away during the more than five years he and his twin sister spent in Nazi concentration camps. Though faded, the pale blue B4343, tattooed on his left forearm when he entered the camp, remains as an indelible reminder.

Pamela Landwirth, Henri's ex-wife, is president of Give Kids the World and is in charge of expansion efforts. "We have plans to increase the 140 villas we have now to 196," she said. She is also hoping to find the funding for a three-story "town hall" and an expansion of the Gingerbread House restaurant.

"As long as there are more children and dreams to be filled," she said, "we'll never stop dreaming."